I cover both timepieces and other luxury items that interest me such as cars and technology. An unshakable interest in wrist watches mixed with a passion for curiosity afforded me the opportunity to make them my career. My website aBlogtoWatch.com is the highest-trafficked blog on timepieces, and I have been fortunate enough to write or have written for some of the most esteemed luxury, men’s interesting, watch, and gadget publications online and in print – including Luxist.com, TechCrunch, Departures International, and Centurion. My style is conversational, and I won’t bore you with needless technical talk or marketing lingo. I tell it like it is and attempt to share my passion with you. My goal is to get you interested in what I like. A lot of my time is spent traveling internationally to Europe to meet with esteemed watch makers and to get a hands-on look at many of the rare and interesting timepieces and items I write about.

10/17/2012 @ 6:00AM7,932 views

In 2010 Swiss watch brand Audemars Piguet announced that legendary auto race champion Michael Schumacher would be their newest brand ambassador. Race car drivers like Schumacher are hardly high-end watch novices being not only courted by brands from an early age, but often being avid timepiece collector’s themselves. Schumacher and his peers are fiercely fought over by brands like Audemars Piguet and their competitors. It takes money, brand prestige, and a damn cool watch to keep guys like Michael happy.

Now almost two years after Schumacher and Audemars Piguet announced their relationship, will there be the first limited edition watch collection to celebrate Michael’s accomplishments. While not universally true by any means, high-end watch brands do often produce limited edition watches in honor of their valued brand ambassadors. Sometimes it is the ambassador themselves who demand it – signaling that it isn’t enough to wear the brand’s watches, but rather that they want to wear their “own” brand timepiece.

It was a little late in coming but Audemars Piguet has finally pulled back the curtains on three Royal Oak Offshore Michael Schumacher Limited Edition watches. Style-wise they are very much in the same vein as other limited edition watches Audemars Piguet has produced for famous racers such as Pablo Montoya, Rubens Barrichello II, and others. Very much part of the modern Royal Oak Offshore sport watch collection, these pieces continue to play with design cues and colors in watches that satisfy both Schumacher fans and watch collectors.

The three limited edition Royal Oak Offshore watches are 44mm wide in titanium, 18k rose gold, or platinum cases. They feature AP’s well regarded Cermet ceramic metallic hybrid bezels (which are highly scratch resistant with a metal-like finish) with notably large screws in the bezel. The crown and chronograph pushers are beautiful and based on the new Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph that was recently debuted by the brand. New details include the design of the lug-to-strap links, as well as the unique dial and hands. Last, there are red-colored elements not seen before in other Royal Oak Offshore watches.

Note for example the red colored date text, as well as the red background for the Audemars Piguet “AP” logo in the crown. On the dial are seven stars in blue and red which represent Schumacher’s seven world championship win years. Each of the dials is different based on the case material. Common to each of them are new hour and minute hands which are unlike any other Royal Oak Offshore hands previously offered. The race flag style pattern on the periphery of the dial is actually also found on some of Schumacher’s limited edition watches with another brand.

Before teaming up with Audemars Piguet Michael Schumacher was a brand ambassador for Omega watches. There he enjoyed a series of limited edition Speedmaster models. However, in terms of design complexity, brand prestige, and price, working with Audemars Piguet is a step up for the Formula 1 legend. On the rear of each of the limited edition watches will be Schumacher’s name as well as his signature on the black automatic rotor of the Audemars Piguet caliber 3126/3840 mechanical chronograph movement.

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